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Good morning, Chicago.

Yesterday, health officials said there have been 84 cases of the Delta coronavirus variant detected in Illinois, with at least 70 of those here in Chicago. With this more contagious variant taking root in the city — and primarily affecting unvaccinated people — city officials launched new incentives to get the shot. They expanded the at-home inoculations to include people ages 12 and up, and are also dangling $50 GrubHub gift cards as a reward.

Meanwhile, now we’re in phase 5, fewer businesses are requiring masks and fewer people are wearing them. But some residents have chosen to keep the protective layers on their faces. Here’s why.

Are you still wearing a mask? How do you feel about it now that the state has reopened? Send me an email and let me know.

— Nicole Stock, audience editor

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Family members and friends continue to clean up the debris and search for valuables from a home on Princeton Circle in Naperville that was destroyed by Sunday night's tornado.
Family members and friends continue to clean up the debris and search for valuables from a home on Princeton Circle in Naperville that was destroyed by Sunday night’s tornado.

National Weather Service working to ‘solve the puzzle’ of Sunday’s storm. 3 tornadoes confirmed, but officials study possibility of at least one more.

Meteorologists with Chicago’s National Weather Service generally spend their days sitting in their Romeoville office, looking ahead — analyzing data and trends to warn some 10 million area residents what conditions to expect in the future.

Since Sunday night’s devastating thunderstorms, however, roughly half or more of the 14 meteorologists who work in the office have spent their shifts in the field, working on damage-surveying teams in Naperville, Woodridge, Darien, Burr Ridge and Willow Springs. They are trying to quantify past events to answer lingering questions about the strongest, most devastating tornado to hit the Chicago area in at least six years.

Here’s how to help tornado victims in Naperville, where victims can get help and how scams can be avoided

Horses and jockeys make their way to the track on opening day at Arlington International Racecourse on April 30, 2021.
Horses and jockeys make their way to the track on opening day at Arlington International Racecourse on April 30, 2021.

Chicago Bears’ offer to move is serious, Arlington Heights mayor says, as village bans certain uses for race track site but keeps it open to football, racing and gambling

The Chicago Bears’ bid to move to Arlington Heights seems legitimate, and not a bluff, the village mayor said Tuesday, after local officials acted to prohibit certain uses but allow a football stadium.

“I don’t think this is a negotiating tactic,” Mayor Tom Hayes said. “I do think the Bears are serious about this. It may not come to fruition, but I think they’re seriously considering this.”

Vehicles on Lake Shore Drive near North Avenue Beach on May 26, 2021, in Chicago.
Vehicles on Lake Shore Drive near North Avenue Beach on May 26, 2021, in Chicago.

Possible deal to rename Chicago’s LSD ‘DuSable Lake Shore Drive’ in the works

A possible late City Council compromise would name Chicago’s iconic lakefront roadway for the city’s Black founder, Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, but keep the beloved “Lake Shore Drive” moniker as well.

It’s a mouthful, but Mayor Lori Lightfoot and aldermen were considering Tuesday an idea to dub the street “DuSable Lake Shore Drive” in a bid to avoid another racially tinged City Council floor fight Wednesday.

Nearly 30 years after Helmut Jahn's controversial building opened its doors, the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago is suffering from maintenance problems — including cracked glass panels, dented and rusted columns, and carpeting held together with tape.
Nearly 30 years after Helmut Jahn’s controversial building opened its doors, the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago is suffering from maintenance problems — including cracked glass panels, dented and rusted columns, and carpeting held together with tape.

State agencies expected to oppose adding Helmut Jahn’s Thompson Center to National Register of Historic Places

Preservationists fear two Illinois agencies will oppose having the James R. Thompson Center added to the National Register of Historic Places, which the groups see as a key to saving the Helmut Jahn-designed building in the Loop.

Brian Rock, of Elevated Pie Co., makes free pizzas for residents after driving his mobile pizza oven truck to Darien from Merrillville, Indiana, on June 21, 2021, as neighbors and utility workers cleaned up damage from an overnight tornado. Rock said he works farmers markets and puts the money toward helping neighbors in need like after last year's derecho storms in Iowa.
Brian Rock, of Elevated Pie Co., makes free pizzas for residents after driving his mobile pizza oven truck to Darien from Merrillville, Indiana, on June 21, 2021, as neighbors and utility workers cleaned up damage from an overnight tornado. Rock said he works farmers markets and puts the money toward helping neighbors in need like after last year’s derecho storms in Iowa.

After the tornado, a stranger came to town with a red pickup, a wood-fired oven and a message of hope: Free, hand-tossed pizzas for everyone

Brian Rock has a vision: He wants to make pizzas for people at natural disaster sites.

So when Rock, of Merrillville, Indiana, heard about the tornado that tore through the Naperville area Sunday night, he packed up his dough, sauce and cheese, and headed toward the wreckage.